Trouble at Mill: Quality of academic worklife issues within a comprehensive Australian university

Winter, Richard; Taylor, Tony; Sarros, James C.

doi:10.1080/713696158

Cited by 129 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The environment of higher education has been characterised as 'supercomplexity' (Barnett 1999) and strategic dissonance (Winter et al, 2000). The demands on academics might be explicit, but they can also be contradictory (Carnell et al 2008) with pressure and anxiety to manage demands and meet targets for different strands of work and also different audiences for their writing (Acker and Armenti, 2004;Ball, 2003;Hey, 2001).…”

Section: Background/literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a culture of publication: a joint enterprise writing retreat

Garside

Bailey

Tyas

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education

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Purpose: Many students irrespective of level of study produce excellent course work which, if given support and encouragement could clearly be of a publishable standard. Academic staff are expected to produce quality publications meeting peer review standards although they may be relatively novice authors. All are engaged in some aspects of academic writing practices but not as frequently involved in co-production of publications emanating from student work. This activity is still at the margins of much of the student experience. Design/methodology: Mindful of these issues, we designed and offered a writing programme including a writing retreat. This brought together undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of applied disciplines (health and art, design and architecture) and their supervisors with the aim of co-producing publications and participating in a community of scholarly practice. The project was delivered over nine months. It involved four days 'compulsory' attendance and included a preparatory workshop, a two day off campus writing retreat and a dissemination event. Student and supervisors applied to participate as a team. Kirkpatrick's (2006) four-stage classic model: reaction, learning, changes in behaviour and real world results was used as a framework for the educational evaluation. Key findings organised thematically were: Supervisor-supervisee relationships; space and time; building confidence enabling successful writing and publication. Originality/Value: This paper will provide an overview of the design, content and approaches used for successful delivery of this innovative project. It will draw on examples that illustrate the different types of joint enterprise that emerged, illuminate experiences of co-production and co-authorship along with recommendations for future ventures.

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Section: Background/literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a culture of publication: a joint enterprise writing retreat

Garside

Bailey

Tyas

et al. 2015

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Those academics currently working in the system would appreciate the extent of change in their working conditions over that 5 year period. Winter et al (2000) also found that professors reported higher perceived levels of sectoral change than did associate lecturers. This finding supports the conclusion from the original findings of this study: that academics at the local level may be able to isolate themselves to some extent from the mega-structural and political changes occurring at more senior levels in the system.…”

Section: Accountability and Autonomymentioning

confidence: 66%

“…In their research into the quality of academic working lives in a large comprehensive institution in Australia in 1997, Winter et al (2000) surveyed over 300 full-time academics-of which 23% were from business disciplines-seeking information about respondents' perceptions of their prevailing work environment and work attitudes. The 5 work environment domains were:…”

Section: Accountability and Autonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in higher education and valuing the job: the views of accounting academics in Australia

Watty

Bellamy

Morley

2008

Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management

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In a previous article (Watty, Bellamy and Morley 2003) the authors reported on survey research that investigated reasons why academics from business disciplines enter and remain in academia, and the conditions they deem necessary to creating ideal work satisfaction. For both entering and remaining, as well as in achieving ideal work satisfaction, the most important factors were found to be autonomy and flexibility, with teaching and research the next most important factors. In a subsequent analysis of the data, reported in this article, the authors identify and explore significant differences between accounting academics and other business academics in the relative importance placed on these key factors. The findings may be used to inform policy-makers and university administrators of the importance of discipline differences when identifying key factors for recruitment and retention of accounting academics specifically, and business academics generally.

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“…Indeed, one of the apparent difficulties faculty have encountered with the notion of managerialism is its focus on outputs and a 'management by objectives' approach (Newby, 1999: p.111). Among the purported negative effects of increasing managerialism include a sense of disillusionment and a decline in institutional commitment on the part of faculty (Winter et al, 2000) and a lowering of morale (Lea, 2009). While research conducted by Fredman and Doughney (2012, p. 41) highligted the impact of this growing managerial culture in academia on job satisfaction, faculty were nevertheless content to improve their productivity in circumstances where they retain 'control over their work'.…”

Section: The Changing Academic Workplacementioning

confidence: 99%

The changing demands of academic life in Ireland

Dowling‐Hetherington

2014

International Journal of Educational Management

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Publication date 2014Publication information Design/methodology/approach: A case study of the School of Business at the largest university in Ireland, University College Dublin, set out to determine the extent to which HE change is impacting on faculty. The research, involving twenty-eight interviews with faculty and manager-academics, covered the five-year period since the appointment of a new President in 2004. Findings:The research provides evidence of an increasing focus on more explicit research output requirements; the growth of routine administration and teaching and learning compliance requirements; and the greater intensification of work and working hours. Research limitations/implications:While the university was at the forefront in implementing large-scale institutional change in Ireland, further research is needed to explore the issues raised in this article in the context of other Schools and the remaining six Irish universities.Originality/value: Few empirical research studies have been conducted in Ireland on how institutional change is impacting on the working lives of faculty. This article serves to shine a light, for the first time, on the perspectives of faculty regarding the changing demands of academic life in Ireland.

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Trouble at Mill: Quality of academic worklife issues within a comprehensive Australian university

Cited by 129 publications

References 33 publications

Developing a culture of publication: a joint enterprise writing retreat

Developing a culture of publication: a joint enterprise writing retreat

Changes in higher education and valuing the job: the views of accounting academics in Australia

The changing demands of academic life in Ireland

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